Methods And Costs Vary For Shipping Cars

June 23, 1994|By New York Times News Service

If you are planning a cross-country move but lack the time or desire to drive to your new home, there are several ways to send your car on its own - ranging from bare-bones transport to finicky first-class service.

Spurred by corporate relocations and growing trade in classic automobiles, moving cars has become a big business.

A relatively inexpensive way to send a car is on an open transporter, such as those that deliver new cars to dealers. Marvin Creamer, president of Ozark Auto Transportation, in West Fork, Ark., said a family car could be shipped from, say, New York to Los Angeles for $750 to $1,100.

Owners of luxury and antique autos often ship them in an enclosed trailer, so they are not exposed to the elements or to vandals. Frank Malatesta, who owns Horseless Carriage Carriers Inc. of Paterson, N.J., said an enclosed delivery from New York to Los Angeles would cost slightly more than $2,000; some brokers quote prices of $1,600 and up.

Travelers to and from Florida can choose the Amtrak Auto Train, which moves vehicles between Lorton, Va., near Washington, and Sanford. The trains depart either station at 4:30 p.m. daily and arrive at 9 the next morning. Prices vary by season, but a car currently travels for $125 and passengers ride along for $70 each. Up-to-date rate information is available by calling (800) USA-RAIL.

One of the least complicated ways to ship a car, an option offered by many moving companies, is simply to drive the vehicle into the van along with your household belongings. Richard MacLaughlin of American Van and Storage Systems of Windsor, Conn., says the costs are determined by the car's weight and the total amount of goods being moved.

His company would charge $1,470 to ship a Toyota Camry from New York City to Miami with 500 pounds of household items; the charge would be $965 as part of a 16,000-pound shipment (equivalent to the contents of an average-size house).

Although auto shippers will quote prices to fly cars across the country - about $3,000 from coast to coast - it is a method rarely used except for test cars owned by manufacturers.

Transport by ship is restricted to international delivery. Sending a car from the East Coast to Felixstowe in England, for instance, costs $700 to $1,000 if it is simply driven on and lashed to the deck, or $2,300 if the car is sealed in a container - a procedure often recommended because of parts thefts and vandalism in transit.

- Is your business registered with the Interstate Commerce Commission? Does it have your prices on file?

Ask for references

Another way to judge a transport company is to ask who their customers are, and whether it can provide references. Horseless Carriage, for instance, says it moves Ferraris and Rolls-Royces for those manufacturers, as well as private cars for celebrities including Paul Newman, Tom Cruise and Lawrence Taylor.

For significantly less expense, there are drive-away services, which act as brokers in providing drivers - often young adults or vacationers with the same destination - to deliver a car. The car owner pays fees of $150 to $400 for a coast-to-coast trip.

But there are drawbacks. ''There are very few incidents with our drivers because we have a detailed application and require job references,'' said Tim Dugdale of All-States Driveaway in Phoenix. ''But we had one guy turn up in Texas when he was supposed to be in California. The car was fine, though.''

Some drive-away services take fingerprints of their drivers and require them to post a security deposit as well.